Bella y La Espada
by Hisagilover69
Summary: Mao is tired with the same old life she's had ever since they moved to that provincial town. But when her father is taken captive by a savage beast, she finds she must exchange herself....-summary continued inside- Grimmjow/Reader
1. Chapter 1

Mao is tired with the same old life she's had ever since they moved to that provincial town. But when her father is taken captive by a savage beast, she finds she must exchange herself to save him. Can she melt the heart or the beast or will the curse of the castle forever remain upon those who live there?

Beauty and the Beast re-told in a new time and setting Starring **Reader/Grimmjow**. However, this does not follow the movie script so the personalities can be matched!

Rated for everyone's potty mouth's :p

~*~

Once upon a time, in a distant world, a young Arrancar lived in the wondrous castle of Las Noches. Although he had everything his heart desire the Arrancar was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, during a terrible sandstorm, an old Shinigami came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the brutal winds. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Arrancar sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

The Arrancar tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside worlds. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?

~*~

"Okay, I'm out sicky! I'll be back soon!"

Closing the door behind you, you smiled up at the blue sky. After you had your little moment of happiness, you tossed the basket you were carrying into your other hand before jumping down the steps and walking down the tiled path that led to the center of the Seireitei. As you walked you looked around to take in all the similar sights. Not that you were expecting to find anything, this place never changes.

'_For such a big city, it's pretty quiet; everyday like the one before_,' you thought, swinging the basket gently. As you came into an area with some houses, you let out a sigh of boredom. '_And_ _it's chock full of people who are the same. Everyday, they wake up just to say-_'

"Bonjour!"

You looked up and gave a little wave to the Shinigami who called out to you. As more of them appeared each one made a point to said '_Bonjour!_' as you passed them by. But being the nice person you are, you returned the gesture to each person. Once you got a moment's peace, you looked up to see Iba walking towards a building with a tray of bread under his arm.

'_There goes the baker with his tray like always; the same old bread and rolls to sell…_' You smiled as he stopped to let a young soul reaper buy a roll of bread from his tray. When he received his money, he turned and continued for the windows that lead into the bakery. '_Every morning is always the same, ever since we moved here. Geez, this town could really use a change…'_

Still, you switched your basket to the other hand before crossing the street, making your way towards the baker. Coming to a stop, you waited for him to look up. As he did so, a large smile broke out across his face.

"Hey, Mao! How are you this morning?" he asked as he went to work refilling his tray with bread through the window.

"I'm doing pretty well, how about you and Ikkaku?" Iba paused in his bread placing to look through the window.

"We're doing pretty well ourselves. I would have him tell you himself, but he's late as usual, the lazy bastard," he explained. "So where are you off to?"

You smiled and dug around in your basket until your hand landed on the hard, smooth surface you were looking for. Pulling it out, you held the book up for him to see. "The bookshop, I just finished this really great book! It's about a beanstalk and an ogre-"

Now, Iba was ignoring your rambling to begin with, but he made it obvious when Ikkaku burst into the shop cursing some coward soul reaper down the street. "That's nice…Ikkaku! The baguettes you lazy bum! Hurry up!" You sighed at the indifference, but smiled and continued on your way anyways. As you walked down the street you were oblivious to the whispers of those you passed by.

"Look, its Mao!"

"She really is a strange girl isn't she? She's always got that dazed look on her face."

"She never in any sort of crowd either; always off by herself."

"She seems a little messed up to me, but what can you do?"

You came to a stop at the corner and managed to jump onto the back of your daily ride: a cart that went down the street everyday at this exact time. As you got comfortable, you watched as everyone went by. Everyone was saying hello and buying their staples to get through the day. You sighed and leaned forward to rest your chin on your hand. _'There's definitely got to be more to life than this…'_ Seeing familiar territory, you perked up and looked around. You timed your jump for a couple seconds before leaping off the cart and back into the street. Then, without further a-do, you turned to walk straight into the bookshop of your left.

Hearing the door chimes tinkling, Shuuhei looked up from the book he was reading to be greeted by your smiling face. "There's my girl!" You gave a little wave and walked up to the desk, which the tattooed man was sitting behind. Said man smiled as he put his bookmark amongst the pages to keep his place as you came to a stop before him.

"Morning!" you greeted. "I've come to return the book I borrowed!" Shuuhei reached out and looked the book over as you handed it to him. He chuckled quietly as he stood to place the book on the shelf behind him.

"You go through these things faster than Ikkaku on sake," he said turning back to face you. You laughed and jumped over the counter to the bookshelf that Shuuhei had classified as "Special." Normally, were this anyone else, he would've beat the living daylights out of them (just ask for the fucking book! Don't get the counter dirty you douche bag! D: **[1]**), but since its you (the one who comes in and out of his shop so often you could practically live in it) he lets it go.

"Oh, I just couldn't put the thing down!" you explained, climbing up the movable ladder to scan the shelves. "Do have anything new today?" Shuuhei laughed and leaned back against the desk to watch you sift through the books.

"Not since yesterday, sorry."

You shrugged and smiled back at him. "Don't apologize, silly! I'll just take…" You did another quick run over before plucking one off the shelf and handing it back to him. "…this one!" Shuuhei looked at the cover in confusion.

"This one? But you've read it twice already!" You smiled and changed your position on the ladder.

"Well, it's my favorite!" you told him as you swung yourself and the ladder down the track. "Can you imagine? Far off places, human world experiences, some real magic and a prince in disguise! Why can't life be that fun?" Shuuhei laughed and helped you down from the ladder. He looked at the cover once more before holding it out with a smile.

"Well, since you've been here so long I guess I can claim store credit." Your eyes widened as he closed your hands over the book.

"But, but, Shuuhei-!"

"Don't worry about it. I know you'll take good care of it," he replied. You glanced down at the book before smiling and hugging it to your chest. Without any warning, you lunged forward and gave him the biggest hug you could muster. He stumbled a bit, but managed to catch himself before the two of you fell over.

"Thank you so much! I love you Shuuhei!" He smiled and held you at arms distance before leading you to the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Now beat it, I'll never get any work done with you distracting me the entire time," he commented. Once you were out the door, you gave him one last hug before walking down the street with a bounce in your step. It wasn't long before you slowed yourself down enough the crack open the cover and begin reading as you walked down the street. Once you took in those first couple words, you were lost to the world. However, your feet still knew the way and they eventually led you to the fountain that resided in the middle of the town. Without breaking your concentration you sat yourself down on the edge and continued on.

After a couple moments, you looked up from the pages and smiled at the people passing by. '_Oh, this is so cool. And this part is my favorite!'_ You looked back down at the pages and scanned the words printed there. '_This is where she meets prince charming, but it takes her forever to realize that it's him! I wonder if guys like that really exist…'_ With that thought behind you, you hopped off the fountain and began your trek through the town again.

Down the street, a blast of kidou shot into the air and nailed an unsuspecting duck right in the chest. As it fell, Hanataro ran around, cloth bag held in front of him, trying to catch the bird. However, his attempts proved futile as it landed right next to him. Hoping that no one would see, he quickly picked it back up and stuffed it into the bag before running excitedly to the one who shot the poor animal.

"Wow! You didn't miss a shot, Yumichika! You're the greatest marksman in the world!" he cried coming to a stop next to the taller, feathery-eyed man. Yumichika smirked and ran a hand through his hair and flipping it once he got to the ends.

"No need to state the obvious however true it may be," he purred as he began gliding down the street. Hana ran to catch up as he threw the bag over his shoulder to shift the weight.

"I guess it really is true that no living thing stands against you; that's for sure! And no girl either!" Yumichika chuckled and came to a stop as he laid his hand to rest on his waist. Eyes landing on an oblivious figure down the street, his smirk appeared once again.

"Well, that is true," he mused as he watched the figure smile and speak with those passing by. "Speaking of which, there's my woman right over there." Hana turned around and looked around the street, trying to pinpoint the girl's location when his eyes landed on you. He ogled at Yumichika's choice before quickly spinning around, dropping the bag in the process.

"The inventor's daughter!?"

"Correct, she must consider herself lucky to even be considered by me, but it should be an honor that I find her beautiful," he replied. Hana bent down to pick up the bag he had dropped.

"But she's-"

"Not exactly as beautiful as I am, but she's definitely the most beautiful woman in this whole town." Hana let out a yelp as Yumichika shoved him aside in his motion to go after you.

"I-I know, but she's-"

Yumichika turned back around and glowered down at the small boy. "Are you insinuating that I should have someone less than beautiful, that I should lower my already low standards?" Hana trembled for a moment before shaking his head 'no.' "Good, because I'm going to show her my true wit and charm and she'll be so captivated that she'll have no other option to accept my hand in marriage." He turned back around and took a step as he was previously doing, but found that he lost sight of you. To his relief he spotted you walking down the next street with your nose stuck in your book as usual.

He made his ay down the street as well, but found it was getting harder to keep you in his sights with the crowd of people that began to rush in. He growled and tried to look over their heads, but there were just too many of them. Damn these unbeautiful people getting in his way! **(2)** He had to get around them somehow…A-ha!

As you walked down the street you didn't notice a certain someone jumping off the building beside you to land gracefully on his feet. Yumichika flicked his hair before sauntering up to meet you. "Hello, Mao." You glanced up at him for a moment before looking back down at your book.

"Good Morning, Yumichika." Slightly miffed at your lack of interest, Yumichika carefully plucked the book from your hands. You stared at your book free hands before sighing and looking back at Yumichika who was flipping through the pages too roughly for your liking. "Yumichika, can I have my book please?"

"How can you read this?" he demanded as he sifted through the pages. "There aren't any pictures in here! How unbeautiful a book is without illustrations." You sighed and tried to keep your anger in check. Don't kill him. Don't kill him.

"Well, I guess some people like me just like to use their imagination," you said trying to reach around him to take it back yourself. He turned and held it away from you as he rolled his wrist back and forth.

"Really Mao, I expected more from you. You really should start socializing instead of always sticking your nose in some dusty book," he sneered as he threw the book over his shoulder into a small puddle of mud. You gasp and ran for the book, but he stood in your way. "Besides, you have more important things to worry yourself with…take me, for example." You glared up at him as he finally moved out of the way so you could rescue your poor book. You glared over at him before quickly wiping the mud off the cover. Thankfully none of it got on the pages. "Look, the whole town is talking about this. Women shouldn't really be reading, it produces ideas and ideas lead to thinking…the whole thing is just troublesome."

"Well, aren't you the primeval one…" you muttered as you stood up. Yumichika smiled and sauntered over to you. You bet he has no idea what that means, five bucks. Anybody? Either way he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and took your book again as you looking at the arm in mild disgust.

"Thank you, Mao. How about we head over to the bar and take a look at all my beauty awards," he suggested as he led you in the direction of the mentioned building. You reached for your book and almost had to jump for it due to the height difference.

"Sorry Yumichika, how about some other time?" you suggested in return as you managed to grab hold of the spine. Yumichika, however, refused to let go, so you had to carefully yank it away from him as you took a couple steps away from him in the direction of your home. "Come on, Yumichika. I just can't. I have to go home and help my father!"

Hanataro laughed and almost dropped the bag from the force of it. "That old loon can use all the help he ca get!" Yumichika raised his hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. You felt your anger instantly flare as you took a threatening step towards the two of them.

"Don't you dare make fun of my father like that!" you threatened. Oh, there might just be blood this morning…. First the book and now they're making fun of Sicky!

"How dare you make fun of her father?" Yumichika demanded as he smacked Hana. You glared at the mocking tone and held your book to your chest.

"And he's not crazy, he's a genius!" you cried, but your statement was poorly supported when an explosion sounded from the direction of your house. You gasped and broke out into a run as Yumichika and Hana continued to laugh at the timing.

"Sicky?" you called as you approached the house. Seeing smoke rising from the windows of the add-on room of the house, you immediately ran over and climbed in through one of them. "Sicky, are you all right?" You were answered by a bout of coughing and a figure stumbling through the clearing smoke.

"Okay," he paused to cough a few times. "How did I manage to do _that_?" He made to come towards you, but in the last traces of smoke, he didn't see the open cabinet door and ran straight into it. He held back a curse and leaned over, holding his head.

"Daddy, are you all right?" you asked worriedly as you laid your hands on his shoulders. He took a few more seconds to shake his head before smiling at you and standing to full height. This time he was smiling down at you instead of up.

"I'm just about to give up on this piece of junk," he confessed sadly and he tapped his fist on the giant contraption to his left. You smiled and shook your head as you checked him over for any injuries. Seeing that he had none you let out a sigh of relief and placed your hands on your hips.

"You always say that, silly!"

"But this time I mean it! This stupid thing is never going to work and you know it!" he said turning and frowning at his machine. **(3)** You sighed and rolled your eyes as you walked over to stand beside him.

"It'll work, you'll see! You'll win first prize that that fair tomorrow!" He gave you skeptical look and you smiled as you placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not to mention you'll become a famous inventor!"

"You really think so? You 're not just saying this because I feed you?" he teased. You laughed and placed your hands on your hips.

"I've always believed that, silly! Besides, it's not like you do any cooking anyways. If I let you do that, I would've died years ago!"

Juushiro laughed and held his hands out in front of him in surrender. "Okay, okay, no need to be so harsh! Anyways, now that I have you here things should get done faster! Can you help me out?" You nodded and he smiled excitedly. He rolled up his already dirty sleeves and laid down on his roller to slide under his machine. "Can you had me the uh…the wrench please?" You nodded and began to dig through his toolbox. "How was your trip into town? Anything new?"

"Well, Shuuhei did give me a new book," you mused as you walked over to where your father was working. You paused and looked down at the tool in your hand. "Hey, daddy, do you think I'm weird?"

Juushiro paused before sliding out from under the machine wearing his goggles. "You, weird? Where did that come from?" You handed him the wrench and he rolled back under. You sighed and walked over to place you basket on one of the many shelves in the room. From there you removed your book and gently ran your fingers over the cover.

"It's just that…I feel like I just don't belong here, you know? Besides Shuuhei, I don't really have anyone to talk to and he's always on these trips so I don't see him often…" you confessed as you sat yourself against the wall. Juushiro stuck his hand out from under the contraption and began to blindly search for a tool.

"What about Yumichika? He seems to have taken a liking to you. He's good looking isn't he? Girls do talk about these things right?" he asked, finally finding what he was looking for. You chuckled and rolled your book over in your hands.

"Sure, he's handsome enough, but he's vain and conceited and honestly…he's such a…such a bitch!" you replied, remembering how cruel he was this afternoon. What you wouldn't have given to give him one right on that feathered face of his! Juushiro paused and rolled out from under the machine, moving the goggles to the top of his head.

"Okay, I'm confused. Aren't girls the bitches and the guys practically everything else under the sun?" You smiled and rolled your eyes at his naivety. And people tell _you_ to get out more. "Anyways, this thing will give us the chance at a new life, so don't worry about this stuff so much, honey." He walked over to you and hooked his finger under your shin. "Things are going to change, I promise." You gave him a smile and he returned the gesture. "Now, let's see if thing is going to work for us!"

Standing up off the floor, you watched as Juushiro hit the start button. A loud roaring noise filled the room and the two of you had to cover your ears to try and keep some form of hearing. When you opened your eyes you saw cut pieces of wood flying over your head and into the predetermined landing sight. You watched in amazement for a moment before letting out a cheer.

"It works! It works, Sicky! You did it!" you cheered, grabbing his hands and dancing around the room with him. Juushiro let out an excited cheer and picked you up and swung you off your feet in his joy. Neither of you cared that they weren't hitting the exact marks on the floor, but it didn't matter, because it _worked_!

"Okay, you go hitch up Nel and I'll get this thing all loaded in the cart!" you nodded and ran off to search for the family horse.

~*~

"Okay Daddy, have fun, win first prize, come back as the world famous inventor I know you are and don't talk to strangers on the road!" you told him as he began to climb onto the white horse. He rolled his eyes, but smiled at the same.

"Yes, dear. I'm a big boy now, I can make my own bed and everything!"

"Oh are you now?"

'Yes, now you be safe while I'm gone. I'll be back sooner than you think!" he said as he began to turn the horse in the right direction. You smiled and gave him a wave as he began to leave.

"Good luck! See you soon!" And as you waved he slowly disappeared into rolling green hills.

Nel and Juushiro continued on their way through the countryside and eventually came to the portal they would need to pass through to get to their destination. However, when they passed through the air seemed colder and the sky darker. Grass was replaced cold sand and around them nothing else seemed to stir. Nel was beginning to become increasingly jumpy as they made their way on. Juushiro on the other hand, was completely oblivious as he looked over his map. He lowered in and looked around in confusion.

"Nel, we should've been there by now. I wonder if we took the wrong portal…oh, hey!" he cheered slightly at the sight of a sign at the end of the forked road. The sign pointed towards each direction. Juushiro read the sign and found that he knew neither of the places mention on them. Nel rolled his green eyes and made to go right, but Juushiro pulled on her reins and made to go left. "Let's go this way!" Nel paused and stared down the eerie, dark, fog infested woods that Juushiro wanted to venture in. The longer she stared the more she felt dread welling in her heart and urging her to down the lighter, obviously more safe path, but Juushiro insisted. "Oh don't be such a baby, it's just a shortcut, you'll see!"

So the two of them continue on through the dark, heading in an unknown direction. Even now Juushiro realizes that they were lost. "Oh, this doesn't look right, where are we, Nel? Well, I guess we better turn arou-" However, he failed to finish his sentence due to the long cry of a hollow in the night. The worst part was: it was right next to them. Nel panicked and began to run at full speed down the path. In her panic she almost sent the two of them of the edge of an unsuspecting cliff. Juushiro began to panic as well and began pulling back on the reins. "Back up, back up, back up!" Somehow she managed to do so and not send the two of them tumbling to their death.

Just as Juushiro let out a sigh of relief, a hollow scream startled Nel into rearing back onto her hind legs, knocking him off onto the ground. In her panic driven madness, she didn't notice in her fleeing down the road. Juushiro slowly sat up on the ground and looked around in the dark. "Nel? Hello?" When he received no reply, he sighed and stood up on his feet. However, when he looked up he was greeted with the sight of a group of hollows staring at him hungrily from their sandy hilltop through the trees. Juushiro gasped and quickly began to run in a random direction. The hollows gave immediate pursuit.

He brushed aside branches and leaves, but in his panic, did not see the end of the hill he was on. With a cry he began to roll down the sandy slope. When he finally got to the bottom he looked up to see a giant wall that towered above him. It startled him with its size, how could he have missed such a thing, and the walls were pure white, extending further down the sand than his eyes could see. He would have taken more time to inspect these walls, but a scream behind him reminded him that he needed to be running. So, he stumbled to his feet and ran to the wall, hoping to whatever was out there that there was a door. He came to a stop at the wall and was relieved to see a doorway there, however, he found it was locked. He began to yank on the door as he glanced over his shoulder.

'_Come on, come on, come on, come on! Open_!' he pleaded the door. And as if reading his mind the door opened just in time for him to run inside and slam the door right into the hollows' faces. Juushiro slid down the door and allowed himself to calm down. Okay, he was alive, that was a good thing. He stood up and looked around to see that he was in a large courtyard of white stone. All around him, everything was white. As a gust of wind blew by, he suddenly realized how cold it was with this wind. Shivering he made his way up to the large doors in front of him.

He knocked on them twice and somehow they began to open on their own. He took this as an 'OK' and stepped inside, looking around as he did. Closing the doors behind him, he looked up at the high-vaulted ceilings and all the white pillars that surrounded him as he made his way further in.

"Hello?" he called, hoping to find someone who lived there. Instead of seeing an actual person, he strained his ear to hear the whispers that echoed through the huge room.

"Oh man, poor guy. Must have lost his way in all that sand. That's a bummer…"

"Would you _shut up_? Maybe if you shut your trap for once, he might go away!"

Juushiro looked around to try and find the source of the whispering. "Hey, is someone there?" He sighed when he received no reply. Facing the other way, he began to inspect that side of the room. On the table behind him sat a windup-clock and a lone candlestick holder with three burning candles in it to illuminate the dark room. The clock glanced over towards the candlestick and sent it a fierce glare.

"Not one word, Shunsui, not one word!" he warned in a low whisper. Juushiro sighed in defeat began backing up to where he started at the door.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I got separated from my horse thanks to some hollows. I was wondering if it would be all right if I stayed for the night?"

Shunsui, the candlestick, looked over at the clock in sympathy. "Oh come on, Toshiro, have a heart. The guy looks like he's been though a lot. Cut him some slack." Toshiro cast him another glare and slapped his hand over Shunsui's mouth. Shunsui raised a wax eyebrow before holding his candle-hand under Toshiro's. The clock's face and numbers contorted in pain for a second before letting out a cry, ripping his hand away, and cradling it to his little glass chest. Shunsui took the opportunity to turn towards the white-haired man. "Of course you can crash here man, it would be an honor!"

Juushiro spun around. "I'm sorry?" Hoping to use the light to see the speaker, he reached out and picked up Shunsui from the table. Shunsui rolled his eyes and tapped Juushiro on the shoulder.

"Over here, you goof."

"Um, where?" Juushiro asked in confusion as he turned to meet no one. Shunsui sighed and tapped him on the top of the head. Juushiro froze before slowly looking up at the candlestick he was using for light. Shunsui smiled and gave him a lazy wave.

"How's it going?"

Juushiro gasped and instantly dropped Shunsui to the floor with an 'oof.' He stares down at the moving candlestick for a moment before tilting his head curiously. "Well, that's…interesting to say the least…" Toshiro jumped off the table and scuttled his way over to his now standing companion.

"Nice going, Shunsui. Man, adults are so retarded sometime-_**What the fuck are you doing**_?!" Toshiro demanded, thoroughly freaked out when Juushiro reached down and began to poke and prod him in various places.

"So what makes you talk? Is there a program installed or…"

Toshiro began to flail in minor panic as Juushiro began to look him over in amazement. He made to protest rather loudly to the man when Juushiro began to tickle his feet. "S-Stop t-that!" The demand was brushed aside due to the fact that nobody could take him seriously with his laughing. Shunsui slapped a hand over his mouth to hold back the laughter as Toshiro was wound up rather harshly, making the hands move across his face in an odd fashion. Toshiro suddenly froze as Juushiro opened the little door to his clockwork and began to poke everything. Without further a-do he slammed the little door shut panting heavily as a savage blush made its way across his little clock face. "Do you _**mind**_?"

"Oh, sorry! It's just that I've never really seen a talking clock before!" Juushiro apologized, shaking his head frantically. Toshiro quickly covered his eyes as sand cascaded down upon his little face. Once he was sure the onslaught was over, he peeked through his fingers to see Juushiro rubbing his arms to try and keep warm. Shunsui frowned and made his way up the white haired man.

"Man, you must've gotten fallen down quite a bit out there. I know the sand out there isn't the warmest thing in the world, so follow me. There's a fire in the room over here." Juushiro smiled and thanked the candlestick as he placed Toshiro on his feet beside him. Toshiro watched in mild panic as Shunsui led him to the room that his master often resided in. He looked around for any sign of the master before quickly following after the two.

"Shunsui, you idiot! Do you know what he'll do if he finds out!" He ran into the room after them, but for once in his very careful life, Toshiro tripped down the stairs that allowed the room to dip a little. Lifting his head up from a face full of carpet, he was startled to see Shunsui allowing Juushiro to sit in the large chair before the roaring fireplace. "No, no, no, no, no! Not in the master's chair! Shit! I can't believe this is happening!" Toshiro yelped slightly as two figures raced past him towards the chair, arguing as they went.

Juushiro smiled down at the cheerful candlestick, but jumped in surprised as two small forms appeared by his feet.

"I want to be his footstool!"

"Are you insane? It's obvious that he would prefer me to you any day!"

Juushiro blinked and tilted his head slightly. They had talking footstools too? Incredible! However, he did feel slightly guilty as the two of them fought over who he should rest his feet on. From what he could tell, one was male while the other was female. He wondered what their names were…

"Um, excuse me," he interrupted. Instantly the two footstools stopped fighting and looked up at him attentively. "Um, why don't the two of you just share? I mean, I do have two legs." Both of the stools paused and looked at each other before laughing happily.

"Brilliant thinking sir!"

"Couldn't have thought of anything better myself!"

And with that the two footstools, Kiyone and Sentaro, made their way under each foot, glad that they could please him individually. Juushiro smiled at his accomplishment and jumped slightly as a hat stand wrapped a blanket around him. Such service! These things were so kind! Toshiro watched all of this in horror and had to slap himself to break free of the spell.

"Okay, that's it! Everybody stop right there! This has definitely gone on long enou-" he started, but was effectively cut off as a rolling tray cart ran him over in its movement towards Juushiro. Toshiro gasped and rolled over onto his back, panting for air. The cart came to a stop beside the chair and the tall, thin teapot, Orihime, greeted Juushiro warmly from her position beside him.

"I made you some tea, sir! I made it myself, so you should be feeling better in no time!" she chirped. Toshiro flailed onto his stomach and pointed at the teapot.

"Don't you give any of that freaking tea!" Orihime ignored the clock and went about to pouring some tea into the small pink cup beside her. Once she was done, the cup hopped over into Juushiro's hand, ready to be drunk. Juushiro chuckled and lifted the tea to his lips and drank a little tea. He wasn't really surprised when Yachiru, the cup, turned in his hand and smiled up at him.

"Hey, boob-lady! Can he stay to play?" Juushiro laughed loudly at this and held her back to smile at her. However, he gasped and almost dropped her as the doors behind him suddenly burst open, sending in a blast of cold air that doused the warm fire. Juushiro felt fear strike into his heart as all his new friends began to cower in fear at the new comer. Despite his better judgment, he gulped and glanced around the chair. Standing in the doorway on all fours was some form of beast; clawed hands scrapped against the marble floor threateningly, flowing teal hair standing on end and a long, white tail twitching in anger. He gasped and quickly turned back around in the chair.

Yachiru quickly hid behind Orihime's trembling form on the tray. Grimmjow terrified even her when he was angry. Grimmjow looked around the room at all his servants that had gathered there. Stalking further into the room he stood back onto his hind legs, towering everything in sight.

"Where is he?" he demanded, a growl forming in the back of his throat. Shunsui came forward slightly, hoping to reason with his master.

"Well, you see, what happened was…he was cold and covered in sand I thought that we could just-" Grimmjow cut him off with a fierce roar that blew out the poor candlestick's flames. As the master stalked past him, Toshiro wrung his hands nervously.

"Hey, I tried to stop them, but they would listen to me! You know how adults are, always thinking th-" he attempted, but Grimmjow sent another roar and glare in his direction, silencing him immediately. Juushiro grabbed his arm as he felt it trembling against him. Carefully he glanced around the chair once again. When he saw nothing was there, he went to look on the other side but this time he was met by a face seething with anger. He let out a yelp and fell off the chair.

"Who the hell are you? What the fuck are you doing in my castle?" he growled, maneuvering his body gracefully over the chair towards Juushiro, who was desperately trying to back further away from the beast.

"I-I just lost my way in the woods nearby and some hollows…" he began, but trailed off in horror as the other continued to advance on four legs.

"I never said that you could come here! You think you can just waltz right in?"

Juushiro stumbled back onto his feet as Grimmjow returned to his hind legs, towering over the white haired man. "I'm sorry!" Grimmjow glared down at the smaller man, wondering what to do with this filth. Juushiro could help but stare at the thing before him. He had the appearance of a man, but he had claws for hands and feet, and a tail protruding from behind. Large, white fangs appeared as he realized that Juushiro was staring at the tattoos around his eyes.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" he demanded with a loud growl.

"N-N-Nothing!" Juushiro cried, racing for the door. However, for his size, Grimmjow was very agile, cutting the man off in a matter of seconds. Straightening back up onto his back legs he smiled menacingly.

"So, you've come to stare at the scary beast in the castle, is that it? Huh? Well, here's you chance!" He let out a raucous laugh that Juushiro found more terrifying than before. Grimmjow frowned when Juushiro looked away. He reached down and grabbed Juushiro's arms tightly enough for him to cry out. "**Look at me!**" Juushiro looked fearfully back into the eyes of his captor.

"I'm r-really sorry about all this! I didn't mean to cause any trouble! I was just looking for a place to stay for the night!" Grimmjow smirked sending another wave of fear down Juushiro's spine.

"A place to stay, huh? I'll give you a place to stay!" Juushiro began to cry out as Grimmjow dragged him out of the room. On his was through the door he snarled at his servants into the room before slamming the door shut, cutting off Juushiro's cries and cloaking them all in darkness.

~*~

1. Shuuhei's personal input right there, just so ya'll know XD

2.–Insert 'not cool' face-- XD

3. Juushiro Ukitake is not amused. lol


	2. Chapter 2

Whoo, chapter 2!~ Hope ya like it! I'm having a blast with it XD

~*~

Hanataro smiled as he peeked through the bushes outside your home. He turned to the elaborately dressed Yumichika, letting the bush fall back into place behind him.

"Mao is sure gonna be surprised, right Yumichika?" he asked. Yumichika smirked and flipped his already perfect hair.

"Of course she is, this is her lucky day isn't it?" He chuckled to himself before turning to the crowd behind him. "I do appreciate you all coming to my wedding! But before we actually start this whole thing, I guess I should go in there and propose first." Everyone in the area laughed heartily except for Shuuhei, who was situated in a tree, shaking his head at Yumichika's obnoxious attitude. He rolled his eyes and pulled a book from the folds of his uniform before leaning back and beginning to flip through the pages. Yumichika looked down at Hana. "Now, Hana, when I come out those doors with Mao—"

"Yes, I know! Start playing the music!" Hana finished as he turned towards the small band before him. Yumichika smiled and nodded approvingly before straightening his outfit and waltzing up to the front door of your house.

Completely oblivious to all of this, you sit in the house reading the book that Shuuhei had given you. However you were interrupted when a knock sounds throughout the house. You blink and place the book down, wondering whom it could be. You didn't often get visitors. Standing on your tiptoes, you peeked through the little eyehole that Sicky had installed so long ago. You sighed and allowed your feet to fall back onto the ground after seeing who it was. Why couldn't Yumichika just leave you alone? You pinched the bridge of your nose before plastering a smile on your face and pushing the door open.

"Oh, Yumichika," you began, but to your surprise he forced his way in, stepping close to you with that obnoxious smile on his face. "…can I help you with something?" Yumichika laughs and takes another step forward while you take another back.

"Actually, I came here with a purpose Mao," he explained as he came to a stop next to a mirror hanging on the wall. "Today I…" he paused and looked into the mirror furrowing his brows. He took a second to fix his hair before turning back to you with the smile back in place. "I have come to fulfill your wildest dream!"

"And what would that be?" you asked crossing your arms and glaring at him. What did he know of your dreams? Nothing as far as you were concerned. Yumichika sighed and dropped himself into your previous seat and lifted his legs to rest his dirty shoes on your book. You stared appalled at the dirty state your book happened to be in. That poor, poor book! You glared over at the smirking male beside you.

"Hm, picture this for me, will you? A beautiful city estate, my latest Beauty award hanging on the wall for all to see, and my little, beautiful wife, giving me a massage while the little children play with the dogs," he explains, using his hands to express himself. You couldn't hold back the disgusted look and you found yourself pinching your nose again as you felt a headache rising. Yumichika leaned forward as he stood so that he was a mere couple inches away from you. "We'll have at least six or seven, mind you.

"Dogs?" you asked taking a couple steps back. Yumichika sighed and rolled his eyes in slight agitation.

"No! Beautiful little girls like myself!" he corrected. You sighed and picked up your book, dusting it off before putting it safely back onto the bookshelf. Yumichika scowled and leaned against the wall beside you. "Honestly, Mao, just who do you think my wife will be?"

"Let me think about that one, it's really tough," you mumbled sarcastically.

"You," he announced, backing you into the nearby corner. You panicked slightly and ducked under his arm as you came to a stop with your back to the door. He really couldn't be serious could he?

"Now Yumichika, let's think this over," you said as he pushed aside some chairs as he made his way over to you. He smirked and leaned on his arm against the door, blocking any escape route that you might attempt to take.

"You will marry me Mao, I won't take no for an answer," he said looking down at you. You held the gaze, but reached back for the door handle behind you. You try not to smile as the familiar feeling of the handle met your hand.

"I," you started, looking down. "I think its time you got some air." Yumichika's eyes widened as you opened the door and ducked away from him as he stumbled out the door. For all his grace and elegance, he couldn't stop himself as he tripped and fell into the dirt. Funny enough, Hana began conducting the band to play, but eventually cut it off when he saw Yumichika with his bum in the air and his face in the dirt. Shuuhei burst out laughing and gripped a tree branch for support at the sight, mentally cheering you on.

Yumichika raised his head, face burning red from rage as Hana walked up and sat down beside him in the dirt. "So, how'd it go?" Yumichika sat up and grabbed Hana by the collar roughly enough to make the younger cry out.

"One day that bitch will be mine," he declared before shoving the boy into the dirt. Hana coughed and looked up to see Yumichika storming into town, looking for something he could beat the living shit out of. Shuuhei let out one small laugh before saluting you through the branches and jumping down to head back to the shop.

After a little while you poked your head out the door and looked around. _'I wonder if they're gone yet…'_ you thought as you carefully stepped further out of the house. Upon seeing no one you sighed and placed your hands on your hips.

"Ugh, I can't believe he actually asked me to marry him, that rude, arrogant brat!" you said to no one as you walked around to the back of the house. You glared at the nearest tree and kicked a rock in its direction. "No way am I gonna be his 'little, beautiful wife.' Nuh-uh, not me!" You sighed sadly and slowly walked down the road to empty field before you. Lying down on your back you watched as the clouds blew past, not a worry in the world.

"Oh, I want to go on an adventure of my own so bad it hurts sometimes," you whispered to yourself. "But…no one understands how I feel, not even Sicky." You sighed and closed your eyes. "Oh, why can't something exciting happen around here for once?"

Your eyes shot open and you shot up, spinning around to try and find the source of the loud cry. As Nel raced through trees, cart still attached to her sides, panic began to pour through you. Stumbling to your feet, you ran forward to meet the horse.

"Nel, what happened? What are you doing all by yourself? Where's daddy?" She let out a cry and gestured back behind her. You gasped and quickly began to unhitch the cart. "Nel, you have to take me to him. We have to find him!" Nel stood still for a moment as you swung yourself onto her back before letting out a final cry and running back in the direction she had come from.

~*~

Nel came to a slow stop before the large white walls of Las Noches, slightly gaping at it as you were. Snapping yourself out of it, you began to inspect all the walls and towers that rose above. You scrunched your eyebrows together in thought before nodding to yourself in confirmation. "Yeah, he's compensating for something…"

You gasped and wrapped your arms around Nel's neck as she began to cry out and stomp nervously. You slid down and held her face in your hands, trying to calm her down. You slowly turned and looked up at the door before calming your own nerves and stepping through. As you made your way through the courtyard you called out, but received no reply. You sighed and looked at the large doors before you which obviously led to the main castle.

Poking your head through the doors, you looked around, hoping to try and catch a glimpse of someone who might live there. However, the ones you were looking for were on the level above you, standing on a table arguing (not really) amongst the two of them.

"You just had to open your trap, didn't you?" Toshiro demanded of Shunsui. Was the candlestick listening to him? No, not really no. You'd think the clock would get the memo with how he was laying on his side with his make-shift hat pulled down over his eyes. "And then you invited him to stay! Idiot…" Toshiro turned around and attempted to mimic Shunsui expression. "Let's have some tea, come sit in the master's chair, mess with Kiyone and Sentaro!"

Shunsui sighed and lifted his metal hat ever so slightly. "I was just trying to cut the guy some slack. No need to be a party-pooper 'Shiro."

"No need to be a…! Why you-"

"Hello?" You sighed when you just got an echo. You stepped inside and close the door behind you. "Daddy, are you in here?" Carefully, you made your way up a set of stairs before you and continuing on from there. All the walls were so white, how the hell were you ever gonna find your way out of here? Oh well, you could figure that out after you found Sicky.

~*~

Yachiru hopped along the floor excitedly as she searched for Orihime amongst all the dishes of the kitchen. Finally spotting her on the counter, she made her way up with a series of well placed jumps to land beside the older woman. "Hey, hey, I just saw a girl in the castle 'hime!"

"Oh, really Yachiru, you shouldn't make up such things like that," she said as she poured some warm water into a large bowl. Yachiru pouted and hopped closer as Orihime added some soap to the water.

"But it's not a story! I really saw her!" Orihime sighed, bending down and carefully tossing Yachiru into the soapy water.

"Come on, you have to take a bath, silly." As Orihime began to clean the little cup up, Nanao the feather duster, walked in.

"Hey Orihime, did you know there's a girl in the castle?" Orihime paused and looked down at her feathery friend. Yachiru giggled and flung herself backwards, back into the soap suds.

"See? I told ya!"

~*~

Toshiro flared up and pointed savagely at the snoozing candle. "Stupid, lazy, self-centered, irresponsible, devil-may-care-"

"Daddy?"

Toshiro froze and turned towards the doorway as Shunsui lifted his hat and looked as well. Both were shocked as you walked by in your search for Sicky. The two looked at each other for a moment before scrambling to the door and looking around the frame. Yup, you were real.

"You see Toshiro that is what we call a girl. I know you've never actually seen one be-"

"I know what a girl is you dolt!" Toshiro snapped as a blush crept across his clockwork. Of course, with the exception of some of the other items in the castle, he hasn't seen a normal girl in…well, he couldn't remember. Shunsui crossed his arms and smiled.

"Well, since this is obviously the girl who's going to be the one to break the spell, I'm off to…make her 'acquaintance.'" Shunsui explain before giving chase. Toshiro blinked before following after the candlestick.

"Shunsui, wait a minute!"

So the two followed behind you as you made your way through the white halls. "Sicky?" You gasped a door opened behind you. You quickly ran through, looking around for the one who opened it. "Hey is anyone here?" No one came to your sight; however, you did see a moving light going up and around the winding stairs before you. Maybe they knew where Sicky was! "Hey, wait! I'm looking for someone! My father? Hello?" When you were at the top, any traces that someone might've been there was gone. "Okay, I know I wasn't imagining that..." Shunsui watched from his position in a wall indent as you stopped to look around. "Is there anyone here?"

"Mao?"

You gasped as a familiar voice echoed through one of the many caged doors before you. "Daddy!" Running past a torch, you paused to take it off its hanging before kneeling down in front of the door that held Juushiro. Juushiro gasped and stuck his hand through the bars and tightly grasped your hand. He smiled weakly and brought your hand to his cheek.

"How did you ever find me?" he asked. You reached through the bars to grab his other hand before bringing them both to your face and blowing warm air on them.

"Oh, your hands are freezing! Why are you even here?" you demanded. Panic ran through your body as he hunched over to cough, spittle's of blood emerging to join a few others on the floor. He doesn't have his medicine! "Okay, we have to get you out of here! You need to see a doctor!"

"Mao…" he called as you stood and began looking for a way to open the door. "Mao, listen to me, I want you to get out of here." You dropped back down onto your knees and gripped the bars, shaking your head.

"Hell no! Not until I beat the crap out of whoever did this to you!" you declared with a growl. Juushiro sat up shaking his head. Reaching through the bars he cupped your cheek with a freezing hand.

"Look, there's no time to explain. You just have to leave _now_, you understand. You are to run and never look back," he told you sternly. You shook your head as tears began to well up in your eyes. You blinked them back and you shook your head.

"Are you crazy? I'm not leaving without you! Come on, let's-" you began, but you were cut off as something let out a roar, grabbed your shoulder and spun you around away from the door.

"Another intruder?!"

"Mao, run!"

The torch flew from your hand and landed a few feet away; giving the white walls a red-orange tint. You looked around frantically trying to find what had grabbed you. Your eyes finally landed on a towering shadow before you, face cloaked by the darkness. "Who are you?"

"Who am _I_? You break into _my_ place and you're asking who _I_ am?" he growled. Eve in the darkness, you saw something resembling a tail twitch in agitation. You felt a pang of fear wash over you for a moment, but you quickly shoved it away and gulped.

"I've just come for my dad, so could you just let him out? He has a serious medical condition and he can't last long without his medicine!" The figure moved around the glow of the torch as he got closer.

"Well, he should think about that before he breaks into someone's place!" he spat. You looked back at the door as Juushiro began to cough harshly, spattering the floor with more blood. You looked back around to his captor.

"P-Please! I'll do anything, just let him out! He could die!" A loud bout of laughter echoed around the room as he looked down at you.

"And you think that I would _care_ if he died? Ha! Good riddance, I say! Just leaves one less piece of scum for me to deal with! If he's not strong enough to keep himself alive then he shouldn't be roaming around Hueco Mundo to begin with!" You began to desperately think of something as he began to make his way towards the exit. Oh, there had to be something you could do! There had to be…

You gasped and stumbled forward a couple steps. "W-wait!" The captor stopped and glanced over his shoulder. You licked your lips and wiped some sweat off onto your sleeves. "What about an exchange?"

"You?" he growled with a frown. "You would take his place?" What the hell? He didn't expect that…

"Mao! No! I forbid this!" Juushiro protested between coughs. You looked back at him in worry before turning back towards your deal maker.

"Would you let him go if I did?" You saw a clawed hand rise to stroke a barely visible chin. Now this wasn't something he thought of. Not that he didn't find the whole thing amusing; he actually found the whole thing funny as hell. In the darkness a smirk appeared, soon followed by another round of laughter.

"What the hell? Sure, I'll let him go…" You let out a sigh of relief. "But…you have to stay here forever, never to leave these grounds, under my every command." You lowered your eyes to your feet. Of course you were going to do this. Sicky needed help and you were willing to do anything to get him to it. You raised your eyes to confirm your deal when you realized that you had no idea what you would be staying with.

"Hey, lemme see your face." The smirk grew wider as the towering figure leaned forward so that your faces were only a few inches apart. Your eyes widened in surprise as you stumbled back a step. Well, you weren't exactly prepared for that. Long, flowing teal hair with a matching set of eyes, tattoos along the eyes that moved along until they connected with long colored ears, body covered in the same hard armor as a hollow, and a long armored tail swishing behind him. However, the front of the armor resembled that of an open shirt with a black collar raised a little to the neck. He was nicely built, but you were too distraught to indulge yourself b**(1)**/b. He also had a nice set of razor sharp pointy teeth and claws on his hands/paws. Yay, do you sense your cause of death? Maybe!

The smirk widened as you turned and took hold of Sicky's hands through the bars. Juushiro leaned his head against the cool metal. "Mao, I won't let you do this!" You smiled at him and leaned your head against the bars. Juushiro began to shake his head violently as he realized what you were thinking. '_You don't have a choice in the matter, silly_'

Giving one last smile to Juushiro, you stood and faced the smirking Arrancar. You took a couple steps towards him before giving a nod. "You have yourself a deal." A vicious smile replaced the smirk as he raced by you towards the door.

"Your loss!"

You sighed and closed your eyes as you heard the door being unlocked behind you. Yes, you were afraid; very afraid. But you were willing to push down that fear for a little while if it meant getting Juushiro out of here. Juushiro stumbled through the door and grabbed your hands.

"Mao, what are you doing? I've lived my life, you're too young!" You smiled and shook your head, reaching out to mess with his hair. However, Juushiro let out a cry as he was dragged away. You let out a cry and made to go after them, but you tripped and they disappeared from sight. With Sicky gone, his comforting prescience with him, all your fear and sorrow rushed to you at once.

From his position still at the wall, Shunsui looked away to give you some privacy. After a few moments, he heard his master climbing back up the steps. When he came into view Shunsui moved forward a little.

"Hey, uh, master?"

"_**What**_?" he snarled at the candlestick. Shunsui smiled up at the Arrancar.

"Well, since the lady is going to be staying with us for, you know, _forever_, I was thinking that maybe you should offer her a room instead of that nasty cell," he suggested. His master glared and let a growl work its way into his throat as he walked on. Shunsui sighed and crossed his arms, muttering to himself. "Fine, fine, commit suicide off the gentleman scale."

Hearing your new master approaching you sat up and began to wipe your tears away. Once you managed the feat, you looked up to see him looking away with his arms crossed, frowning and glaring at the poor wall. Suddenly, you felt angry and sad all over again as you stood up and lunged yourself at him. The Arrancar watched in slight amusement as you began to pound on his chest.

"I hate you! You didn't even let me say goodbye! You didn't even let me…" As you vented your anger, it slowly began to dissolve as you accepted your fate. In its place came the sorrow from before. Not knowing what to do, whether to feel sorry for you or to be disgusted, he just stood there watching as you cried against his chest. Once you finished he let out an agitated sigh.

"Now that you're done being a whiny bitch, I'll show you to your stupid room…" he mumbled turning away towards the stair. You looked around at the whitewashed walls around you.

"My room?" you questioned. "But I thought…" He pivoted on the balls of his feet and gestured around him angrily.

"You would rather stay up here?" he demanded. You shook your head. "Then shut up and let me show you to the god damn room!" Why did he ever agree to this? He was trying to be somewhat nice and you question it? Shinigami are so damn irritating!

As he walked down the stairs, he grabbed Shunsui rather harshly and held it up to light the way. Not that he needed it, he just figured he take that smirking bastard with him so that he could smash him against the wall later. Oh, he could feel the smile he was giving him! Bastard…

So, the three of you walked in silence through the halls with you looking around at everything you passed by. In hopes of somewhat easing the tension, you looked around his arm. "So, uh, what's your name?" He glared at you, telling you to back away from him. So you allowed yourself to fall back a couple steps. After a moment he growled and spat his name over his shoulder.

You raised an eyebrow. What kind of name is Grimmjow? Oh well, it did open the doors for some new nicknames though. You wondered how long you would live if you started calling him Grimm…From his stiff position in Grimmjow's clutch, Shunsui gave his master a look. Grimmjow glared and said nothing. Eventually the look grew to agitating to ignore.

"What?" he hissed low enough for you to miss. Shunsui rolled his eyes.

"Say something to her!" Grimmjow sighed and glared at the candlestick before racking his brains. What the hell was he supposed to say in a time like this? Shit, he knew he should've listened to Orihime's rants about this stuff.

"You should get used to being here, there's plenty to do…" he said glancing at you over his shoulder. Oh god, this was torture! Why does he have to do this? Shunsui ignored the pained look his master was giving him, sternly gesturing for him to go on. "Since you're going to be staying here…you can go anywhere you want…." He paused and looked over at you again. "Except for the West end."

"What's at the West End?" you asked curiously. What, does he have his stash of catnip in there or something? You were about to giggle when he spun around, rage radiating off his being.

"_Do not question me_," he snarled. After seeing your frightened face, he tightened his lips together and almost crossed his eyes as he closed them. Calm, think calm. Without a word he turned and continued down the hall. You hesitated, but followed him nonetheless. It would seriously suck if you got lost in here.

You didn't walk much further after that, coming to a stop before two large doors. He opened the door and held it open as you took a couple steps inside. It was large and lavishly decorated with colors that you secretly approved of. Against the wall was a large canopy bed, multiple empty bookshelves, a dresser, a coat rack, large windows and a large wardrobe. Grimmjow watched curiously as you looked around.

"If you need anything, just yell and my servants will get it for you," he explained. Shunsui almost rammed his head against the door as Grimmjow went silent. Was he going to have to do this all himself? God, his master was a hopeless case when it came to people!

"Dinner—invite her to dinner!" he urged. Grimmjow looked up at the candlestick with a surprised look. He wanted him to…? Hell no! He was being too nice already! Shunsui crossed his arms and gave the Arrancar a weary look. Grimmjow growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. b**(2)**/b

"You will…you're going to join me for dinner! So get hungry!" With that he slammed the door behind you. You gasped and looked at the door for a moment before glaring over at it and stalking over to the bed. You flopped down on it and let out an angry scream into the covers. Once any traces of anger had left you, you sighed sadly and held a pillow to you. You watched as the sand blew around outside the window. This was for the best. Sicky got away and he was going to be all right. That's all that matters, right?

~*~

"Who the _hell_ does she think she is? Just look at me! No one says no to me!" Yumichika screamed at the pub. Slouching back into his plushy chair, Yumichika glared at the dancing flames of the fireplace. "Dismissed. Rejected. Publicly humiliated. That bitch may have a pretty face, but she's dumb as a rock to do such things to me!"

Hana smiled and brought a mirror up to him. "Aw, come on. Look at that handsome mug!" Yumichika pouted and swatted the mirror away. Why should he look at himself again? He's already done it a million times today and it hasn't helped one bit. Hana frowned.

"Oh come on, Yumichika! It kills me to see you like this! I don't see why you're so upset, every guy in town would kill to be you right now! Am I right?" Hana asked the men around him. He was pleased to see he got a large group of cheers. "No one can beat you in anything! Not in brains, nor beauty! Not to mention a top rank Shinigami!"

"Well, that much is true," Yumichika mumbled smirking to himself. After a moment Yumichika stands and nods. "I am the most beautiful! No contest there!" The men of the pub cheered and let out individual calls.

"Yumichika the wise!"

"Yumichika the strong!"

"Yumichika the beautiful!"

Yumichika smiled and basked in the attention that was given to him. However, the door suddenly burst open and Juushiro stumbled in, covered with snow. Though Hueco Mundo held nothing but sand, Juushiro was dismayed to find that snow had taken its place once he managed to fins his way back.

"Help! You guys have to help me!" he pleaded running further into the pub.

"Juushiro?"

"I need your help!" he cried to the people who began to gather around him. "Please! He's got her locked in that horrible dungeon!" Hana broke through the crowd and looked up at the older man.

"Who's locked up in the dungeon?" he asked.

"Mao, you fool!" Juushiro cried shaking Hana's shoulders. "We have to go now! Who knows what he's doing to her?" Yumichika made his way through the crowd and raised an eyebrow.

"Calm down, Juushiro. Who is it exactly that has Mao?"

"This huge Arrancar! It's a horribly powerful hollow!" he explained. Yumichika held his chin in thought as other people mockingly began to shoot out questions to the distressed man. After a moment, he let out a laugh and clapped his hands together as he walked closer to the white haired man. Casually he turned Juushiro and placed his arm around his shoulder as he made his way to the door.

"Don't worry, Juushiro, we'll help." He soothed. Juushiro smiled and gave Yumichika a bone crushing hug. Yumichika frowned and fixed his hair as he gestured to two other men. Juushiro began to flail as they took hold of his arms and them him out into the icy street, slamming the door behind them.

Ignoring all the ugly comments the others were shooting about, Yumichika made his way back to his seat, deep in thought. Hana watched and eventually followed in curiosity. Yumichika finally broke out into a smile and yanked Hanataro closer to whisper into his ear. Hana's eyes widened before he let out a loud laugh.

"You're brilliant, Yumichika! A genius!" Yumichika laughed and stood up.

"Well, preparations must be made! Let's go, Hana! We have a crackpot to help!" Then, he and Yumichika left the pub chuckling as they went.

Out in the snow, Juushiro sat shivering alone in the street. He glanced up at the darkened night sky. 'Mao…' He slowly stood up and looked around for anyone else who might be on the street. "Is anyone going to help me?"

~*~

get that the rest of the story XD

2. It's so fun to write Grimm as socially awkward :)

Well, anyways, chapter three shall be up momentarily. I'm working on Chapter 4 now, so....XD Rate and review please. Any comments or questions are accepted :)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 already! This is turning out to be so much fun:) This chapter actually came out longer than I thought it would, but I'm not complaining! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!

**_~*~_**

_Clink, clink, clink…_

You groaned and buried your face further into your pillow at the noise. Maybe if you ignore it, it'll go away. You held your breath and listened to the silence. Just when you were sure the knocker had gone away, they went at it again with the '_clink, clink, clink_.' You let out a sigh before rolling yourself off the bed, making your way towards the door once you managed the feat.

"Yes?" you called.

"It's Orihime! Could you open the door please?"

You leaned against the door wearily for a moment before opening it. You were rather confused when you saw nobody was there. You were about to close the door when you looked down and gasped. A tea set was making its way long the floor. The teapot smiled up at you brightly.

"I thought you might like some tea," she said brightly as she made her way around your feet. You moved out of the way and blinked down in amazement at the moving items.

"But…you're a…teapot…" you stated backing up into the wardrobe. You let out a gasp as the wardrobe began to laugh. You spun around to see her smiling down at you.

"Well, hey there!" Rangiku greeted. You shook your head and plopped back down on your bed.

"Okay, I'm talking to inanimate objects…what the hell is Grimm growing in that tower?" Rangiku laughed again and leaned against the bed as best she could.

"Yeah, I know it's a lot to take it, but I can tell you, you're not going nuts. Bu---t in answer to your question I believe it might be his catnip stash," she said. You turned and looked up at her with a hint of excitement rolling off you.

"He really has a stash of catnip? I thought it was in the West End!" you exclaimed. Rangiku straightened up, almost letting one of her oversized drawers fall out. **(1)**

"You think so too? Ha, finally!" You laughed as she began to rant about all the possible stashing places and how a shortage may be the explanation to some mild PMS-ing. Orihime giggled as she added some sugar to your tea.

"Okay Yachiru, I'm done," she announced to the little cup. Yachiru cheered and hopped her way over in your direction. "Don't spill!"

"See, I told you! We have another girl to play with!" Yachiru paused and squinted at you. "You are a girl, right?"

"Yes, I'm a girl," you confirmed with a laugh. "Thanks." You carefully picked her up and took a little sip of the warm liquid. Yachiru giggled as you took another.

"Hey, hey, look what I can do!" Yachiru chirped. You smiled and gave her a nod. She took a deep breath before screwing her face up in concentration. Suddenly, bubbles began to form in the tea, almost sending some of it over the edge.

"Careful!" Orihime giggled as she came closer. Yachiru stopped and gave a motion that you assumed to be a shrug. She looked up at you and you shrugged along with her. Orihime paused before making her way up onto the bed to sit beside you. "That was really brave, standing up to Grimmjow like that."

"Hell yeah! Everyone in castle agrees with that!" Rangiku threw in, sitting herself on the edge of the bed. You blushed at the praise and lowered Yachiru so she could sit next to Orihime.

"I wouldn't really call it brave so much as desperate. I just wanted to get Sicky out of here. But…" you started, lowering your gaze to your hands. "I'm never going to see him again; I'll never be able to live out my dreams. But I guess I'm okay with that so long as I know he's okay."

"Don't worry, everything will be okay. I promise! I know Grimmjow may seem mean and nasty sometimes, but he can be sweet when he wants to," she soothed. You smiled down at her gratefully. Orihime gasped and turned around. "Crap, I'm supposed to be getting you ready for dinner!" From there, the teapot hopped off the bed and made her way out the door with the rest of the tea set following behind. At the door Yachiru paused and grinned.

"Bye, bye Mao!" You gave her a wave and she disappeared with the door closing behind her. Rangiku stood herself upright and made her way around the bed to stand in front of you.

"Okay, let's get you all made up for dinner! Let's see what I got in here…" She opened one of her doors, allowing one of her drawers to almost spill out again. She quickly shut the door to put the drawer back into place. "Whoops, they almost popped out on you! Now, here we go!" Reopening her door, she pulled out a stunning dress of light and dark pink. "You'd be the definition of sexy if you wear this baby!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," you said. Rangiku tilted her head curiously. "I'm not gonna go to dinner."

"What? No! You have to!" She declared. You raised an eyebrow.

"Or what? Why should I go if I'm not hungry?" you questioned. Rangiku pouted and stomped her foot, flailing the dress in front of your face.

"'Cause I wanna see you in the dress!" she whined, making you burst out laughing. Your laughter faded when someone cleared their throat at the door. Both you and Rangiku looked to the door to see Toshiro standing there.

"Dinner's ready, come and eat already." You and Rangiku both gave each other a shared looked before turning back to a confused little clock.

~*~

"What the fuck is taking her so long? I told her to get her ass down here didn't I?" Grimmjow demanded as he paced along side the food-laden table. "It can't seriously take this long to walk down a hallway and a set of stairs!" Orihime and Shunsui watched as their master impatiently waited for his new charge to arrive. Both sighed, catching the attention of the Arrancar. He glared up at them fiercely.

"Oh Grimm, just be patient! She'll be down, you'll see. She did lose her dad and everything else today. Just give her some time to come around," Orihime suggested. Grimmjow turned towards the two of them fully. Had anyone else referred to him in such a way, he would have ripped their little heads off. But Grimm had a sort of soft spot for Orihime that resembled a brotherly love of some sorts. Shunsui leaned against the wall behind him. His master was being a little more jumpy than usual.

"You've thought that maybe she's the one to get this spell off of us?" he asked, though it came out as more of a statement.

"No shit, Shunsui! I've thought about that ever since I saw her up in that damned tower! I'm not a dumb-shit!" Grimmjow snarled as he returned to his pacing as he ran a hand through his hair. Shunsui grinned and sat up a little.

"Now we're getting somewhere! It'll be a piece of cake! You two fall in love over dinner and POOF, no more spell! We'll all be back to normal in no time," he declared. Orihime scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't work like that! It takes a little longer than that for something like this to happen!" she scolded. Shunsui really shouldn't be putting some hope like that into Grimm's head. He has enough of a temper.

"Well, we better hurry up, the rose has begun to wilt, you know?" Grimmjow stopped to give the two a pained look.

"What's the point? Here's she's beautiful and I'm fucking…." He frantically searched for another word as he gestured to his face and body in an almost flailing manor. "Look at this? How the _**hell**_ and I supposed to work with this?"

Shunsui gave Grimmjow a look over and shrugged. He couldn't really see anything wrong. Minus the tail, teeth, ears and claws. He looked over at Orihime who gave Grimmjow a patient look.

"You just have to show her the real you, the one inside. Not what she sees on the surface!" she explained. Grimmjow gave her an exasperated look as threw his hands above his head.

"How the hell and I gonna to do that, Orihime!?" Orihime scowled and stood on the edge of the fireplace.

"You can start by getting an attitude adjustment! Now straighten up and try to act like a gentleman!" she demanded, jumping off the mantel place and making her way onto the table. Grimmjow blinked, but seeing as he was a little desperate, he obeyed the teapot's demand.

Shunsui followed suit and smirked at his master. "And when the pretty lady comes in, give her a dashing smile that's bound to sweep her off her feet! Come on, give it a try." Grimmjow frowned before attempting to achieve this "dashing smile." Shunsui held back a chuckle when all he got was a rather forced goofy smile, showing all his pointy teeth.

"But make sure not to come on too quickly! You don't want to scare her off, do you?" Orihime questioned. Grimmjow dropped the smile and looked between the two.

"Try and impress her with some sharp wit!" Shunsui threw in.

"But make sure to be gentle too!"

"Make sure to throw out plenty of compliments, girls like that."

"But be sincere when you do it!"

"Oh and the most important thing that we all know you have trouble with…"

"_**Control your freaking temper!**_" they both finished. Grimmjow sighed and massaged his temples. He could do this, he could do this. He could do this, couldn't he? Hell yes he could! He was Grimmjow-fucking-Jaegerjaques!

"Oh! Here she comes now," Shunsui announced as the door began to creek open. Grimmjow spun around, feeling almost nervous as he waited. He frowned when the only one who made an appearance was Toshiro when he stuck his head through the crack.

"Uh, hey," he greeted taking a couple steps in. Grimmjow looked around the door trying to catch sight of you. After a moment, he clenched his fists.

"Where is she?"

"Who? Oh, Mao, yes, um…" Toshiro began, but he began to panic as he saw Grimmjow glaring down at him. "Um, yeah, well, you see…what happened is…" Grimmjow took a step forward as Toshiro wrung his hands a little nervously. Finally he sighed and braced himself. "She's not coming."

"_**What!?**_" Grimmjow slammed the doors open and began racing towards your bedroom. Shunsui, Toshiro, and Orihime made chase, but were beginning to fall behind.

"TEMPER, CONTROL YOUR TEMPER!" Orihime called, desperately trying to calm him down. Shunsui and Toshiro ran a little further ahead.

"Grimmjow, calm down, you idiot!" Toshiro called after him. By the time the finally reached him, Grimmjow had just finished pounding on your door rather harshly.

"I thought I fucking told you to come to dinner!" he roared. The three shook their heads at his poor temper…and his terrible potty mouth. He sounded _so_ intelligent spewing profanities every sentence, didn't he?

"I'm not hungry, asshole!" you retaliated from behind the door. Shunsui and Toshiro blinked. Holy crap, were you as bad as Grimmjow? **(2)**

"You come out right now or I'll break the God Damn door down!" Grimmjow threatened. You scoffed through the door.

"Go ahead, dumbass, it's your door!" Grimmjow growled and somehow kept himself from actually keeping his word. Shunsui sighed and stepped forward.

"This isn't exactly the way to win a woman's heart, you know?" he stated. Grimmjow rounded on him and threw him a glare. Toshiro came up beside him.

"Could you try and be a gentleman for once? Hard as I know it is for you," Toshiro said dryly. Grimmjow gestured to the door behind him in a jerky manner.

"She's being so fucking _difficult!_" he hissed.

"Be gentle back, it might work. Give it a try," Orihime instructed. Grimmjow clenched his fists and ground his teeth together

"Will you come down to have dinner with me?" he asked.

"No." Grimmjow turned and pointed at the door with a shaky hand. Oh, he was so tempted to break the door down and wring your pretty neck. So very tempted. Toshiro rolled his eyes at his master. Maybe he should stick some chill pills in his food one day and see how that works.

"Be calm and suave, genteel," the clock offered. Grimmjow let out a low growl and turned to the door again.

"I would be very pleased to have you join me," he forced out, attempting to be somewhat formal.

"…please," Toshiro added.

"…please," Grimmjow finished.

"Oh, bite me!"

Grimmjow snapped and snarled at the door. "You can't stay in there forever, bitch!" From behind the door he could hear you moving about.

"Try me, bastard!"

"Fine! Then go ahead and fucking _starve_!" Grimmjow roared. Turning to the three behind him he added "If she can't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all! Two can play this fucking game!" From there he stormed past them and to the West End, slamming the nearest door behind him, causing a little piece of ceiling to fall on Shunsui.

"Well, that went well," Shunsui chuckled. Orihime smacked his arm harshly, causing the candlestick to pout and rub the sore limb. Toshiro rolled his eyes and turned to the two, taking command.

"Shunsui, you stay here and keep watch on her. I want to know if anything happens, understood?" Toshiro ordered. Shunsui smiled and crossed his arms, admiring the kid's spunk. Orihime smiled at the serious demeanor.

"You got it, kid."

"Then we're off to clean everything up," Toshiro announced wearily, leaving Shunsui alone as he and Orihime disappeared down the corridor.

In the West End, Grimmjow slammed his doors open and began to stalk over to the other side of the room. "Dumb bitch! Is this what I get for trying to be nice? What does she want me to do—fucking beg?" He came to a stop at a small round, black table holding nothing but an encased blue rose and a white mirror. Growling, he snatched up the mirror and stared at his reflection. "Show her to me." The mirror sparked and glowed a faint teal before the glass warped to show him your small form lying on the bed with Rangiku leaning against it beside you.

"_Oh, come on, he's not so bad once you get to know him. He just has a bit of a temper. Why don't you try and get to know him?_" the wardrobe asked. You sat up and glared at the comforter before you.

"_Hell, I don't want to get to know him! He's nothing but an insufferable jackass!_"

Grimmjow looked away, pained, and gently set the mirror back onto the table. "What the hell am I doing? This is stupid, she'll never see as anything but a fucking monster." He placed a hand over his eyes and turned away from the table as a lone petal began to drift away from the flower. "It's hopeless…"

~*~

When the moon had finally risen to its highest peak and you were positive that the rest of the castle was asleep, you quietly opened your door and took a cautious peek down the hallway. Seeing that no one was there you smiled and stepped out into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind you. As you walked past a curtained area, you completely missed the conversation that was behind them.

"Shunsui, I swear to god, if you do that again, I will kill you."

"Oh, come on Nanao; don't be like that…OUCH!" Shunsui fell to the ground with a thump as Nanao, the feather duster, made her exit from the curtains. After a moment, Shunsui crawled out of the curtains, sporting a new bruise and looked around. Seeing you turning the corner he gasped and quickly made to follow you.

In the dark hallway you somehow managed to find your way to the giant staircase from when you first came in. A couple doors down, Orihime closed the door to the cupboard where Yachiru was sound asleep. She looks around wearily to Uryuu who was banging his pots around angrily.

"I can't believe this! I spend the whole day slaving over this gorgeous meal and nobody freaking eats it!" the stove complained slamming a lid down on one of the pots. Orihime sighed and hopped over to the table to stand between Uryuu and Toshiro who was wiping his hands on a towel.

"Oh, be quiet! It's been a long night for all of us, you know," she scolded. Toshiro rolled his eyes and glared down at his towel.

"If you ask me, she was just being too stubborn," he mumbled throwing the towel away from him. "He said 'please' didn't he?" Orihime sighed and rolled her eyes for the hundredth time. Honestly, why did she have to be surrounded by men so often? She needed to go visit Rangiku again.

"Well, either way, if he doesn't fix his temper then she'll never break the sp-"

"Mao! There you are!" Toshiro interrupted as you came through the door. No need for you to know anything about the spell. Toshiro looked around for Shunsui and finally noticed him as the candlestick came to a sliding stop at your feet. He rolled his eyes before smiling up at you. "The name's Toshiro, I basically run the whole place." Toshiro's face twisted in disgust as Shunsui bowed to you in front of him. "The old man trying to hit on you is Shunsui."

"Oh, ignore him, the kid doesn't know what he's talking about," Shunsui assured you as you crouched down to be somewhat at their level. Toshiro came forward and glared at the candlestick muttering something along the lines of not being a perv-ish old man.

"Anyways, if you need anything, let us know. We're here to make things more comfortable," the clock continued. Slightly put off about being called a perv-ish old man, Shunsui leaned down to hold one of his flames under Toshiro's hand. Toshiro cried out before turning and giving the offender a swift punch to the face. As the two of them fought it out, you smiled up at Orihime's familiar face.

"I guess I am a bit hungry. Yelling at Grimm gets you hungry," you confessed with a slight blush as a small rumble made its way from your stomach. Ecstatic over your common nickname for Grimmjow and the fact that you'd like to eat, Orihime turned to the other of the kitchen.

"You heard her, she's hungry! Wake up sillies!" she called to them. Uryuu flared up excitedly and a set of plates and silverware appeared out of the cabinets. Toshiro watched on wearily.

"Hey, didn't he say-"

"Oh dilly-dally to that sourpuss!" Orihime threw to the clock. "I'm not going to let her go hungry, are you nuts?"

Toshiro sighed dramatically and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "Oh, fine. Give her some bread and cheese or something." Shunsui looked over at Toshiro with a rather appalled expression. Did he just seriously say that? Where the hell did this kid learn his manners?

"Toshiro, I'm disappointed in you! That is no way to treat a lady!" Toshiro rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, looking away with a frown. "Come on, follow me. I'll show you to the dinning room." You grinned and gave Shunsui a grateful hug.

"Hey, just make sure to keep it down. I don't feel like having to clean up the remains of your waxy head when the master rams it against the wall later," Toshiro grumbled. As he led you out of the kitchen, Shunsui gave him a playful shove.

"Glad to hear your love, kid." Toshiro turned around to throw a retort, but he found he could do nothing but glare at the already closed door. Shunsui showed you to a long table with a few chairs pulled up to them. Before anyone could try and do it for you, you pulled out your own chair at the end and sat yourself in it. Shunsui chuckled and hopped up onto the table. After a moment or two Toshiro and Orihime joined him as a cart came out with your plate full of food. With some help you managed to get your plate and silverware on the table before thanking everyone and digging in.

"Wow, this is great!" you complimented. Orihime giggled. She'd have to tell that to Uryuu later, he'd be so excited. Once you finished and the plates were taken away you leaned on your elbows and stared at the three in front of you. Toshiro looked down at his face, which you honestly had no idea how he did it, before looking back at you.

"It's getting pretty late, shouldn't you be going to bed?" he questioned. You shook your head with a smile as you straightened up to look around the room.

"I'm too excited now to go to sleep. I've never been in a place that's been enchanted before! It's all so cool once I get my head wrapped around it," you replied with a smile. Toshiro came forward with a raised eyebrow.

"And just what makes you think its enchanted?" he inquired. Cue deadpans from you, Shunsui and Orihime. Knowing he was in a corner Toshiro turned and pointed at Shunsui in a desperate attempt to pin the blame on someone. "I knew it was you, you slack-jawed idiot!"

"It's not exactly that hard to figure out little 'Shiro," you said as you reached out to mess with the turner on the back of his head. Toshiro spun around with the most adorable blush running across his clockwork. You smiled at him for a minute before standing up. "Since I'm going to be here for a bit, can I have a look around?"

"You mean like a tour or something?" Shunsui asked. You smiled and gave a quick, excited nod to him. Toshiro scuttled over to Shunsui and pulled him down to whisper in his waxy ear.

"You sure that's a good idea? She could end up snooping into places that we don't need her going into," he whispered. Shunsui patted the clock's head.

"Relax; we'll be with her the whole time. What's there to worry about?" Shunsui said. You nodded and stood by them at the edge of the table.

"Yeah, don't worry, little 'Shiro, I won't run away. Besides," you teased, poking him in the tummy, earning you another adorable blush. "I'm sure you know about every nook and cranny of this big 'ole place, don't cha?" Toshiro looked away, the blush still present.

"Okay, I'll give you that…" You cheered and lifted the two of them off the table and onto the floor to begin your tour de Las Noches!

As the tour went along, Toshiro would tell you about this or that, trying not to seem as excited as he really was. "As you can see, the pseudo facade was stripped away to reveal a minimalist rococo design. Note the unusual inverted vaulted ceilings. This is yet another example of the neo-classic baroque period…" It was amazing. It was as if each end of the castle was a different time period of history! You could easily pick out Japan, France, Britain, Egypt, and so many others! Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad…

As Toshiro went along to point something out on another end of the hallway, you noticed a set of stairs leading up to a slightly darker hallway. You tilted your head curiously and began to climb the stairs. Just as you were about to reach the third step, both Toshiro and Shunsui blocked your path with smiles that seemed too sweet to be sincere. You raised an eyebrow.

"So, what's up there?" Toshiro and Shunsui laughed together before looking back up at you. Toshiro wrung his hands, smiling at you all the more sweetly.

"Up where? There? Oh, nothing, that's just the West End; very dank and dusty, very boring. Trust me on this," he assured you. You grinned at his little slip up.

"Oh, I see. That's the West End," you mused. While you weren't looking, Shunsui quickly slapped the younger, who desperately tried to keep from retaliating. You placed your hands behind you back and carefully studied the rest of the stairs. "What's up there you think? He's definitely got to be hiding something, and I'm not talking about his stash either."

"Mao, trust me, there's nothing up there," Shunsui urged. You gave him and wink and patted his head.

"Now if that were true, you guys wouldn't be trying so hard to keep me from going up. Besides, he got all touchy about it before…" you stated. You went to take another step up, but once again they blocked your path.

"Hey you know, we do have this…um, library!" Toshiro threw out. You paused and looked down excitedly.

"You guys have a library?"

"Hell yeah, there's more books in there than stars in the sky!" Shunsui declared. You gasped and turned away from the staircase. At the bottom you turned back to the two.

"Where is it? Can we go there now?"

"Yes, right this way!" Toshiro chimed, walking side by side with Shunsui. In their excitement and relief, they failed to notice when you didn't follow behind them. You giggled at your own cunning before turning and making your way up the stairs and into the West End.

When you reached the top of the stairs you followed the carpet along the floor into a rather dark hallway strewn with broken furniture. Though you felt your mind telling you to go back, something in your heart pulled you to the doors at the end of the hallway. Standing before the handles, you paused, almost thinking of turning back, before sighing and carefully opening the door.

Inside it was darker than the hallway and more furniture strewn as well. Glass and broken mirrors adorned the walls along with multiple pictures that had been shredded to pieces. While looking at all the pictures you accidentally tripped over a broken chair. Luckily, you managed to catch yourself before you fell onto anything else. Looking up, you were instantly intrigued by a portrait that hung on the wall. Like the others, the portrait was ripped, but this one only slightly so. As you came to a stop before it, you gently lifted one of the dangling flaps and held it up to its original position. Before you could get a good look something stirred behind you.

You quickly turned to see what it was, but saw nothing but a glowing blue rose covered by a protective glass shell. Curious, you made your way over to the rose, captivated by the light glow. It was a strange color, you've never seen a blue rose before…

Licking your lips, you wiped your hands on your clothes before reaching out and lifting the glass shell. With that out of the way, you held your breath and examined it carefully. Other than the fact that it was floating, glowing and blue, it looked like a normal rose. Slowly, so as not to damage it, you reached out to stroke one of the petals. However, right before your fingertip touched it, a long shadow fell over you. You gasped and looked up to see Grimmjow standing there, looking rather surprised to see you there…with the rose…uncovered.

In an instant, he moved around the table, picked up the shell and carefully placed it back over the rose. He held onto the glass for a moment before glaring at you over his shoulder, breathing somewhat heavily. You took a couple steps back as he straightened up.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he demanded with a hiss.

You gulped and wrung your hands nervously. Guilt rushed through your veins as you realized how important to him the rose was. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"_Didn't realize_? Do you know what you could have done?!" You gasped when he thrashed aside a piece of already demolished furniture. In the dark you noticed some blood gleaming in the darkness and dripping onto the floor. You reached out for his hand but he took a step back shaking his head angrily. "Get out!"

"But I-"

"Do you have a fucking hearing problem? I said _**get out**_!" he roared. Finally giving into the fear that was bubbling in your gut, you turned and ran out the room just as he began to thrash around some more. As quickly as you could, you fled down the stairs towards the main doors. Grimmjow stood there panting, his anger slowly subsiding as sorrow began to fill its place. He had driven you out and with it, any chance he have had with you. Turning back to the rose he, closed his eyes and held his face in his clawed hands.

"Hey, hey! Where are you going?" Toshiro called as you ran past him and Shunsui. You shook your head as you took hold of the door handles.

"I can't stay here any more! I just can't!"

Toshiro and Shunsui cried out, begging you to reconsider, but by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, you had fled into the sand with Nel. Out into the night you rode without even being able to see where you were going, a sandstorm blocking anything further than a few feet away from your vision. Somehow in between the sand and darkness, Nel managed to see something that spooked her into panic. It didn't take long for you to notice what it was. To your left you could see a large group of hollows eyeing the two of you hungrily. You gasped before quickly urging her on, trying to get the two of you to safety.

As you ran through the trees and sand, you tried to keep Nel as calm as possible despite the group of rapidly approaching hollows. Some of them have already tried to lunge at you, but you managed to swerve at the right time, sending them into a tree or two with a satisfying crunch. You triumph was short lived as you felt your stomach drop into your lap. Both you and Nel had fallen into a ditch. Beginning to panic, you desperately urged Nel to get out. After many profanities and promises of treats, Nel finally managed to make it out of the ditch before the hollows caught up. Just when you were about to heave a small sigh of relief, you felt a shriek rip out of your lungs as a hollow appeared before you.

Nel bucked, throwing you off into the sand as she becomes caught on a near by tree branch. Nel stomped around in panic as the hollows began to surround her. Just as one made to lunge at her, you stepped between them and swung at the hollow with all your might. The hollow crumpled to the ground and lay motionless in the sand. Not caring about their companion, the others eyed your new weapon, a large , sturdy stick, as you held it at the ready. The 2nd hollow made its move, but you were ready. You took another swing at it, but to your horror it grabbed the end and yanked it away from you, throwing your forward into the sand. You watched as it threw the stick over its shoulder and let out a dry scream. The hollow finished its cry before lunging forward to catch its prey.

Your eyes widened as a clawed hand appeared, grasping the hollow by the throat and bringing its face to meet a snarling Arrancar. The hollow attempted to bite Grimmjow, but didn't feel much of anything after that as Grimmjow slashed its throat. Throwing the carcass away, Grimmjow crouched over you on all fours protectively. The two groups snarled and snapped in both directions before Grimmjow roared and lunged at the attackers.

The first few in the front were instantly killed as Grimmjow slashed his way through the front line. A few leapt onto his back and began to claw and bite at his back and shoulders, but they were quickly disposed of with his tail. One hollow managed to slash Grimmjow's right arm, dying a few moments later when the hand of that arm ripped off the mask adorning its face. The Arrancar moved quickly between the hollows, taking out the entire lower rank first. The stronger hollows began to attack at once, pushing him into the sand. Grimmjow snarled and rolled them off, killing them within an instant.

While he was preoccupied, a hollow came from behind and bite harshly his shoulder, ripping the white armor around the joint, drawing blood. Smelling the enticing scent of blood, the other hollows lunged for the new wound, attacking at once. Grimmjow let out a roar before throwing them off and holding out his hand. Many hollows were instantly obliterated by the Cero as it ripped through the sand and trees. Now sensing a lost cause, the other hollows turned and fled, leaving you with nothing but silence.

Grimmjow stood there snarling after them for a minute before slumping slightly and turning towards you. He watched you stumble to your feet before looking away slightly and crumpling to the ground. (**3**) You watched the body for a second before looking between it and Nel. After a moment, you turned from Nel and ran over to the bloody heap. How could you even begin to think of leaving him?

"Grimmjow?" you called to him quietly. When you got no reply you looked around frantically. You had to get him back to Las Noches, now. Feeling tears well up into your eyes, you gently ran your fingers over his hairline and ears. You shook your head and blinked away your tears. Now wasn't the time. Using all your strength, and hell did you need all of it, you managed to get Grimmjow's motionless form onto Nel's back before taking the reins. You double-checked to see that he was on decently before carefully trudging your way through the sand back to the castle.

~*~

1. Can you tell I'm making the drawers he boobs? :)

2. You do have a bit of a swearing problem XD

3. Imagine that for that whole part that no one has his or her super Shinigami/hollow powers okay? If Grimm-kitty were as powerful in this thing as he really is then the whole point of this scene would've been lost .-.

Hm, that was fun. Next chapter is coming up soon! Review and let me know what you think! :)


End file.
